Opposites React
by Serenaxo
Summary: I wrote this story myself it's not based on Gossip Girl but the main character has the same name Serena. Serena was adopted as a child into a happy NYC life, when one day her past returns for her, throwing her into the magic of ancient Greece to save it.
1. Chapter 1

_Serena, 1998._

Blurry lights. Beeping noises. Shouting people. Movement. Faces covered by surgical masks came in an out of focus. Blur. More scary masked faces. Stop. What's happening? I try to ask, but the words come out sounding like 'wwaaahmss appniring?' I attempt to sit up. Pain shoots through every nerve in my body, I cry out in pain. People push me back down onto whatever it is I am lying on. 'Somebody get the anaesthetic.' I hear. Anaesthetic? I'm 5. I don't know what that is. I hope it stops the pain. Suddenly the pain is gone and so am I. My head sinks slowly into black and I hope it stays there.


	2. Chapter 2

_Sapphire, 2010_

_I am dancing under the stars in a small gold wooden gazebo with Eli Fletcher outside in a garden of roses and jasmine. There are sparkly fairy lights rigged up in the trellis walls and trees around us, casting a dim golden glow over us. Eli is looking at me like I'm the most amazing girl he's ever seen in his life. He's looking at me like I'm the best. I lean my cheek against his shoulder and deeply inhale the scent of his jacket. I catch a glimpse of myself in a huge gold framed mirror set into one of the trellis walls. Some unconscious part of me recognizes the girl. A half second late I realise that blond girl in the black dress is me. I laugh at myself quietly. Even in my dreams I'm scatterbrained._

'_Sapphire…' says my dream boy. His light brown eyes meet my blue ones. For one second I am dazed. This is so perfect. _

'_Sapphire?' a different voice calls this time. I frown. This is my fantasy, so why is Serena's voice here? Suddenly the beautiful setting and Eli fade away._

'Sapphire? You up?' Serena whispered through the door. I looked at my clock, and groan. It was 4.27 am and I was meant to be asleep.

'Sapphire? Wake up… I had the dream again.' God, she was persistent. I mumbled back something like 'ahhmm koommbingg.', then promptly fell out of the bed with a loud thud and woke up. Cursing under my breath, I stumbled over to the door and let Serena in. She was shivering and looked scared. Her long dark curls were tangled all down her back and her green eyes were all teary. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and her face was covered in a sheen of sweat. We'd been in this situation plenty of times before.

'Aw Serena, did you have the dream again?' I asked, concerned for my younger sister. She nodded.

'Do you want to sleep in my room again tonight?' I asked. She nodded again, and we crawled into my bed. I gave her a quick hug and told her everything was going to be fine, nothing would hurt her, I was here for her, she was safe now, standard comforting words. She was relieved, and fell asleep quickly. Serena was only a month younger than me, and most of the time she seemed so much older than me. But at times like this, I was the big sister. And at times like this, it was her who needed me.

My mom adopted Serena when we were 5 years old, and I was, to put it mildly, ecstatic. My whole life I'd wanted a sister to play with and dress up. I thought they were like dolls, there for you to play with when you wanted and did whatever you wanted happily. Serena, however, wasn't taking orders from anyone and eventually the tables turned and she was soon dressing me up; which is a big deal when you're five. We stood up for each other and we were the best of friends. Mom never favoured either of us, and she showered us with love equally. Our childhood was great together. Serena was always amazingly confident. Even immediately after the accident when most people go into depression or trauma, she just moved on, which was incredible for a 5 year old. It was like the accident never happened. The only evidence that it even happened were the medical and police reports. Oh and the dreams. She had these weird recurring dreams every few weeks. The dream was her subconscious dragging up the memory of her accident. This was the only time I would ever see her vulnerable. Usually she was fiercely protective of me and when she had her guard down after these dreams, it was me being fiercely protective of her. I remember once we were at the park down the street once when we were 8 years old. I was on a swing trying to kick so high that I'd flip the swing over the bar when the big bad bully of the neighbourhood pulled my swing to a stop, and told me I was going to get off now. I shook my head, no way was this guy going to tell me what to do. He pushed me off roughly and I fell into the mud. I ran away trying to hold back tears and Serena chased me down, concerned for why I was so upset. When I told her, she just walked up to him fearlessly and demanded that he get off that swing immediately or else. The kid took one look at her enraged 8 year old face and left the park straight away. By this point I didn't even want to go on the swing anymore so we went home. She piggy-backed me the whole way because my knee was sore from when I was pushed off the swing. She was my best friend.

'OOOF!' I groaned as Serena ran into my room and dropped our shiatsu dog Danny on my stomach. She then, as if shocking me into consciousness by leaving me at the mercy of the slobber machine Danny wasn't enough, proceeded to open the curtains and open the window. Double whammy, sunlight and the noise of New York City traffic poured in through my window. I pulled my pillow over my head and pushed Danny off my bed.

'Go away.' I mumbled. I'm not really a morning person.

'Aw come on Sapph, it's Sunday. Lets go shopping, or to the cinema or to brunch with the girls or something. Don't waste your time lying bed all day. Or I'll throw Danny at you again.' She threatened.

'What's the time?' I moaned. 'Why are you awake at this hour you physco? If it's early enough for a brunch then I'm supposed to be asleep! How long have you been up for?' She dropped Danny back on my bed and he licked my face. Serena laughed and picked him up again.

'More? No more questions. Get up. We leave for India in three days, shopping is in order.' commanded Serena. I obeyed, Danny's breath stinks.

I took a quick look at my clock. 9.32am. I moaned again.

'Go have a shower, I'll call the girls. Let's have brunch at that new breakfast place around the block. Anyone you want to invite. Like, maybe Eli?' she teased, as she thrust my towel at me.

'Eli? No. I'm not interested in him anymore. Why would you think that?' I lied, trying not to look shifty and failing in a major way.

'Because, he was all you were talking about last night.' She giggled at me.

'"Oh Eli, you're such a good dancer… Thanks Eli, I'm glad you like my dress… Oh sure, I'd love to do this again with you sometime Eli." I can't believe you're still into him. You. Shower. Now. Quick. If we wait any longer the breakfast place will close and we'll have to go for lunch instead..' She winked mischievously. I just put my I'm-tired-and-half-asleep-so-I-can't-function face on. What the heck was I going to wear? She was already dressed in a black high-waisted skirt, white singlet, my black and silver belt, her diamond bracelet that she never took off (it was on her when she was found after her accident) and her favourite black leather jacket. Dang, I wanted to wear that jacket today. She pushed me out of my room towards the bathroom, with her cell phone already in hand. No doubt about it, she was going to send Eli a message to have brunch with us and to bring his buddies. She gave me the look, the look that says 'do as I say or you're toast'. I knew better than to disagree with that look, a few minutes later I was lathering my hair up with shampoo. Serena is a force to be reckoned with. And I loved her for it.

One hour later we were seated in the cosy new breakfast place. It was warm but small. There were 7 of us all squished up together around a small rounded table. Serena worked her magic and somehow I was between Eli and Danielle, my closest friend since before Serena was adopted into our family. Danielle's twin Jaycob had come and brought his friend Justin along and none of us had met him before and he was cute, albeit a little shy. Serena's friend Aimee had come too. Aimee was just as shy as Justin seemed and they looked like they were getting on pretty well. Serena was talking to Jaycob and Danielle about our schools upcoming trip to India. Which left me to talk to Eli. I cursed at Serena internally for putting me in this situation. I was sitting next to him and after all our history and last nights dream the conversation was strained and extremely awkward.

'So, err, what've you been doing lately? I haven't seen you for a while.'

'I've been around.' He mumbled back vaguely. Oh so he had been here. Just avoiding me. Fair enough, our summer break-up had been bad.

'Surely you've been doing something. Is it a secret?' I smiled, trying to be friendly. He looked up at me like I was accusing him of something.

'Nothing interesting, just been with the boys. We all drove to Chicago for a weekend not long ago. What about you?'

'Same old, I haven't gone anywhere. I was helping Jaycob out with his fundraiser to get money for the India trip.' I wasn't about to mention that this fundraiser was also for Jaycob's friend Sam, another ex of mine and a guy that Eli absolutely hated with a passion.

'Cool, how'd you fundraise for it?' he asked, wiping his black hair out of his light brown eyes. Wow, he looked genuinely curious. It was a miracle.

'We busked. Got a permit and everything. What a freaking mission that was. Jake wrote and choose the songs and helped Serena sing them, I played the guitar. We did this for a good 3 days, same corner, different songs. We raised about $1000. It was pretty good, you meet some strange people on the street.' I smiled, remembering the old man who had given us 50 Australian dollars. Then walked away humming, 'I come from the land down under', under his breath. That guy made my day. Eli interrupted my thoughts.

'You always do that!' he said, with mock solemnity.

'Do what?' I asked, confused.

'Space out. You get so lost in your own memories that you forget what you're saying in the present. It's actually pretty funny.' He laughed at me.

I blushed bright red. Note to self, NO MORE SPACING OUT.

'I'm sorry.' I mumbled.

'No, I like it.' He blurted out, as if he hadn't actually meant to say it. It was his turn to blush. _And we're back to square one_. I thought, _Awkward…_ and just then the waitress arrived with our waffles and ice-cream. Great timing.

'So do you love me, or do you love me?' asked Serena jokingly as we briskly walked home in the cold NYC weather. She gave me the look.

I gave her the look back. She gave me the look again but with more oomph this time. I sighed, she won. She always did that.

'Well it's just that things are so awkward between me and him already and then that little comment sort of accidently brought up the intensity level of the conversation. He'll probably be avoiding me again now.' I moaned.

'He will do no such thing. I'll make sure of it. And on the plus side, he said he liked it. That's not a bad thing. While we're on the plus side, Aimee and Justin totally hit it off, and he asked her to go with him to the movies tonight. And Jaycob nearly has enough money for India, and his parents are leaning towards the idea of giving him a loan. All in all, I think it was a very successful brunch.' She summed up, obviously very pleased with herself.

I rolled my eyes. How one girl wielded so much confidence was beyond me.

'Well, what about you? Everyone else has a plus side. What's your benefit?'

'My benefit is benefitting you lot, who are so hopelessly lost without me that you need me here to point you in the right direction. Admit it Sapphire. You need me.' I resisted the urge to poke my tongue out at her like a child. We arrived at our apartment building.

'Aw crap, I forgot my key. You have yours?' I fumbled around in my purse looking for my key. Serena already had hers in her fingers.

'See, you'd be lost without me Sapph.' She laughed at me and let us into our apartment. Mom was sitting in the lounge with her laptop balanced on her knee. She was typing furiously, her long manicured fingers tapping on the keys with a loud _click-click-click _noise. Working. Again.

'Mom, it's Sunday. Take a break. Get your coat, lets go for a walk to Central Park.' Serena instructed. It was like a second nature to her, I swear.

'One second honey, I'm almost finished this report okay? Give me 10 minutes then we'll go.' replied Mom, without looking up from the laptop, her fingers never ceasing in their steady _click-click-click_ rhythm. I suppressed a laugh. Mom was a work-a-holic. I went to walk out of the room, but Serena grabbed my arm and stopped me without taking her eyes off mom. She gestured for me to do the same. After about 2 minutes of resisting the force of our combined stare, mom flipped her laptop shut and gave up.

'Alright! You win! Get your jackets, lets go.' she laughed, defeated.

'Where did you say you wanted to go?' mom asked us.

'Central Park? I don't care. Let's just go do something. No point staying in an apartment when you live in a city this big.' said Serena. I nodded. Mom just stared at us for a second.

'What?' asked Serena impatiently, she was practically tapping her foot, she was that ready to leave the apartment; despite the fact that we'd only just entered it less than 5 minutes ago.

'I just love you girls so much!' mom moaned at us.

'No, no maternal moping on us today mom. Let's go.' Instructed Serena. Mom had been getting all mopey on us lately. We figured it was because we were both leaving for India soon. 1 month in India with no parents and just 3 young teacher aids. Mom was distraught. It was actually pretty funny.

'Right. Sorry girls, lets go.' apologized mom. I laughed.

'COME ON!' shouted Serena. Sheesh, she had confidence but no patience.

We exited the apartment and walked around the cold busy streets of NYC. We just wandered randomly, going into shops at random. We stopped at a Starbucks briefly and that's where things went weird. Serena ordered her usual tall white chocolate mocchacino, no cream, with extra vanilla.

'Hey, you're Serena Richards right?' asked the Starbucks worker serving us. He seemed to be staring at her wrist. Which was weird. Mom had already sat down. Richards wasn't our last name, Mason was.

'Serena Mason actually. Do I know you?' Serena asked, confused.

'No, I was sure your last name was Richards. Is your mothers name Julia?' the guy asked. Mom's name was Sarah. This guy was mistaking her for someone else for sure. He looked confused too. That made 3.

'No. You didn't' answer my question. Have we met somewhere before? You seem kind of familiar.' replied Serena cautiously. She looked at the guy with cautious eyes, suspiciously. I looked at him too. This guy was HOT. He looked about 17 years old and he had a great tan, like he'd just gotten back from a holiday in Fiji or some island resort. He had glowing blue eyes and light brown hair that was stylishly messy. He was tall too, about 6'3, and obviously spent a lot of time in a gym judging by the well developed muscles on his arms. When he spoke this dimple in his cheek jumped. He was hot, but Serena couldn't care less, she could have any hot guy she wanted she was that pretty. She just gave him the look.

'I think so… I'm Sebastian. Ring any bells?' he asked curiously.

'Nada. Well uh, thanks for the coffee.' Serena smiled, and went to walk away, but Sebastian grabbed her arm and stopped her.

'Wait, maybe we could catch up sometime? Figure out how I know you?'

'No thankyou, I'm fairly busy.'

'Aw come on, I'm intrigued.' Sebastian smiled.

'If I say yes will you go away and let me drink my coffee?'

'How about tomorrow, we could meet here at 5 o clock when my shift finishes, and we could have a coffee or something?'

'Fine. Now go' Serena brushed him away, 'Coffee time.' she moaned. She had no patience for boys. We started walking towards our table. I snuck a glance over my shoulder to see that Sebastian had gone.

'Serena? Sapphire? What's taking so long?' called our mom.

'Can we go home now? It's cold!' I moaned.

'Yeah, I'm not really keen to get soaked. Let's go.' decided Serena

'Who was the guy at Starbucks Serena?' asked mom mischievously.

'Nobody.'

'Really? He didn't seem like nobody.' Mom winked at me.

'Yeah Serena, who was he?' I teased.

'Like I said, nobody. I don't even know the guy. He didn't know me from Eve.'

'Yeah right, that's why you've got a date with him tomorrow.' I said, dangling this bit of information in front of mom. She took the bait.

'Ooooooh! Serena's got a date! Finally, I worry about you sometimes, you get so caught up setting other people up together that you never have time to find someone for yourself darling.'

'It's not a date exactly, I kind of recognized him vaguely. Otherwise I would've turned him down, I don't need a guy complicating life when it's already so busy.' moaned Serena. I sighed, only she could moan about getting asked out. It was a regular occurrence for her. Boys just couldn't help themselves, she had the whole package. The cheerleaders body, long dark hair, tanned skin, and these bright green eyes that could make you lose track of what you were saying. Team the fabulous physical picture with her incredible confidence and bubbly outlook on life, boys couldn't resist her. However, she intimidated some of the ones she actually became interested in. Her one long relationship ended abruptly when she found him making out with some random girl nobody knew at a party once. Since then, she distanced herself from guys, preferring to set me up with guys. More than once, the guy she'd set me up with would actually be interested in her and would just go out with me on a pity date hoping to get closer to her. It wasn't her fault. It's not that I wasn't attractive, I just didn't compare with Serena. Story of my life! But no matter how many times someone ignored me for her, or choose her over me I would always love my sister. She was my closest friend ever and we had so much fun together. Sharing clothes, waking each other up at random times of the night to talk about dreams, hanging out every weekend, helping each other when we needed it, nothing could make me resent that. I occasionally got jealous of her, and she would occasionally get jealous of me. Those conversations often went like:

'I wish I had your blonde hair! I wish I had your nose, it's so cute!'

'No! I wish I had your dark hair! I wish I had your eyes! Lucky bitch!' we'd laugh. I sighed again, and we reached the apartment. I made a beeline for the kitchen. I loved to cook, and since it was lunch time I decided to make spaghetti bolognaise, Serena's favourite. I busied myself with that while Serena went into her room and started playing my guitar. Mom immediately sat back down to her laptop and starting typing insanely fast. Another typical Saturday with those closest to me. I sighed again, happily this time. Life was good.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sebastian 2010_

'I found her today,' I spoke into my cell phone. 'She came into the coffee shop with her "sister" and her "mother". She hardly recognized me, and she didn't even know her last name, or her true mother's name. The vetlapa must have some how erased her memories. I'm meeting her tomorrow, hopefully I'll be able to explain to her then, and take her with me back through the Line.'

'You mean she didn't know anything? She didn't even know her mothers name? That's absurd! The vetlapa must have done a good job on her memory if she didn't remember you.' my father replied on the other end of the call.

'She's different, and the same. Serena still knows what she wants and how to get it, you can tell, just from the way she ordered her coffee. No bullshit. I felt like I was talking to a ghost… or a memory.'

'Well don't waste your time reminiscing about your toddler days, the vetlapa are getting stronger. I can only protect our family for a small amount of time on my own. We need her back. She's the only one who can help us you know. As soon as you reveal your secret then open the Line, and we'll meet you at the other end.'

'Dad, stop worrying. I have a plan. It'll all work out fine. It'll be good to have her back.' I spoke slowly. Sometimes Dad could be difficult.

'Alright. See you tomorrow.' There was a click sound then dial tone. The old bastard had hung up on me again. In some ways he was similar to Serena. No bullshit. I walked across my large hotel room and flopped onto the bed. Serena had been gone for 12 years now. I just wanted to get her back. She was our last resort. We'd never drag her away from her happy home and happy life if we weren't desperate. The reason she had this life was because of us. We sent her through the Line when she was young because the vetlapa were after her. And judging by her apparent memory loss, it looked like they got to her. I was still shocked that she didn't recognize me. I yawned loudly, and before I realised that I closed my eyes I was asleep.

A grey dim light filtered dully through my hotel window. I jumped out of bed and glanced at the cheap hotel clock on the small wooden bedside table. 10.45am. I stretched and ran my fingers through my messy hair and wandered slowly over to the window. I squinted through the light. Raining. Damn. I only had my Starbucks workers uniform, and some how I don't think wearing that today would impress Serena. I rummaged through the bag I brought with me, hoping that I had a t-shirt or something else to wear. Nothing. I groaned and pulled on my uniform, then wandered out of the hotel to the bagel shop down the block. It was raining hard now and my white shirt got soaked. The millions of business men walking through NYC on their way to somewhere important stared at me with looks like 'why is this kid standing in the rain without a jacket?'. I laughed at them and entered the warm shop where my nose was welcomed with the doughy aroma of fresh bagels in the morning. I smiled and grabbed a cheese bagel and sat down at the back of the cafe section. It was a Monday morning, so naturally the place was packed. A girl sitting at a table near me was eyeing me up, looking for all the world like she was talking to herself in her head. She went to stand up then sat back down again. Looked like she was debating internally whether or not to come talk to me. I stifled a smile as the 'go talk to him.' side won. She pulled up the chair opposite me at my small table and smiled. She had eyes the colour of night and was wearing what looked like an expensive designer jacket. She tucked a strand of long black hair behind her ear and cleared her throat.

'Hi, I'm Cassie. I was just wondering what a nice looking guy like you was doing sitting all alone here.' I nodded at her vaguely. I wasn't here to socialise, I was here on a mission. This girl was staring at me expectantly and I realised I hadn't replied to her.

'I'm just eating my bagel.' I replied bluntly.

'Why are you all wet?' she asked, gesturing at my soaking wet shirt.

'If you hadn't noticed, it's raining cats and dogs out there.' I retorted, chewing my bagel slowly.

'Well obviously. I meant why don't you have an umbrella or a jacket for that matter?'

'New in town. I don't know where to get anything.' I admitted.

'What'd you say your name was again?' she probed.

'I didn't. It's Sebastian.'

'Well Sebastian, if you're not busy today, it looks like you and I are gonna have to do some shopping.' My instant reaction was rejection. But then I considered. She could help me. Cassie would know what girls liked, what would impress Serena. I turned the charm on and smiled.

'Of course. I'm obviously in need of your fashion help.' I shovelled the last bite of bagel in my mouth.

'Of course.' she agreed.

'Well let's go then.' We pushed our chairs out at the same time, a loud scraping sound, and I went over to the counter to pay for her coffee and my bagel. She looked pleased. I may be from the other end of the Line, but that doesn't mean I'm stone broke. In fact, many people (namely museum people and antique collectors) are interested in some of my old paintings from my end of the Line. Apparently, old stuff is valuable here. I raked in a fair amount of money for my paintings and sketches. I only worked at Starbucks temporarily, for appearances. Today was going to be a piece of cake. Cassie and I walked out of the Starbucks hand in hand and headed down the street towards the nicer shops in the area.

4 hours, 18 shops, 11 shopping bags and 1 coffee break later, Cassie and I emerged from yet another shop laughing lightly. I was wearing my new dark grey jeans that were a little too tight for my liking ('they're what's in right now!') and a warm dark blue Armani jacket. My soaked uniform had been dropped off at a Laundromat a few blocks back and we were due to go get in 10 minutes. Cassie punched me on the arm laughing at something I had said when her phone rang. She pulled it out of an expensive looking bag and glanced at the caller ID. A confused look passed her face as she answered. 'Hello? She is? That's awful! I'll be there soon. Is 15 minutes okay? Okay great. See you soon.' She flipped the phone shut.

'That was my boss. I don't have work today, but apparently one of my co-workers has swine flu and she needs me to cover for her.' she sighed.

'Oh that's too bad. But its fine, I have to go to work soon as well.' She looked disappointed.

'Well maybe we could do this another time?' she asked hopefully. Again? Once was tiring enough. I smiled at her for the sake of it. I was grateful for her help but I wouldn't be staying on this end of the Line for much longer.

'Of course.' I said, just to make her feel better. I felt bad, I'd probably never see her again. We hugged, one armed, and I hailed her a taxi. She blew me a kiss, then climbed into the backseat. She only just closed the door as the taxi started speeding away. I hailed myself a taxi and arrived at my hotel a couple of minutes later. I pulled on my Starbucks uniform roughly and walked to work. My shift went by uneventfully though I was a little clumsier than usual because I was distracted by the thought of Serena. She obviously was different to the 5 year old girl I knew, though she was still the same. My memory hadn't done her justice; she turned out far prettier than I had imagined. Her eyes still had that same glowing green colour I loved. Admittedly it was her bracelet that had caused me to recognize her, but once I saw those big glowing green eyes I knew it was her. Those eyes were something I'd never forget, no matter how much memory loss the vetlapa may inflict on me.

'Sebastian!' shouted Sam, one of my co-workers, as I nearly walked into him and knocked over one of the empty cups he was holding. It fell from his tray heading straight for the floor, but just before it hit the ground I bent down and caught it. Sam's eyes went wide and he mumbled something that sounded vaguely like 'thanks.'. I got the feeling he didn't really like me all that much. I stifled a smile at the flabbergasted look on his face. Peoples senses on this end of the Line were much dimmer than on my end. I carried on my work until 4.50 when I dashed into the staff bathroom and put on some of my new clothes. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and groaned at my hair. It looked like a hurricane had hit it. I should have a got a haircut today. Oh well, no time for that now. I took a deep breath and exited the bathroom and out into the warm café area and scanned the room. I saw a girl with long dark curly hair facing away from me at a table. I walked over and put my hand on her shoulder and said hello. The girl turned around, annoyed, then looked at me and smiled. I looked at her and frowned. This wasn't Serena. I apologized.

'I'm sorry, I mistook you for somebody else.'

'Oh don't apologize. I'm-' I cut her off

'That's great. Sorry I have to go now. Bye.' She looked disappointed. Then I saw her. Serena was standing near the door laughing at me. It was obvious she had seen the whole thing. Embarrassment coloured my features. I forced a smile and gestured to a table for us. She shook her head.

'No, I want to take you somewhere else. This place is too noisy.'

'Okay.' I agreed, with a raised eyebrow. 'Where are we going?'

'Just this place I know.' I gave in and we left the warmth of the café and stepped into the biting cold of NYC. We walked down a few blocks, then turned down what looked like the kind of alleyway that people would deal drugs in, or homeless people slept in at night. Suspicion flooded my mind as we walked further and further down this dark narrow alley. I was just opening my mouth to ask Serena what was going on when we turned around a corner I didn't even see. My first subconscious thought was wonder at the beautiful sight before me. It was a tiny quiet garden with a pond in the middle and some wooden benches around it. The grass was untidy, and the flowers were overgrown. The trees were tall and formed a shelter from the light rain falling from the sky. Serena was watching me, a sweet smile on her face. I smiled back as she tugged me over to one of the dry benches and sat down. She patted the spot beside her and I obliged.

'Now, how did you know my name?' she truly didn't waste time.

'Because I know you from somewhere before.'

'Really? No kidding.' She rolled her eyes. 'Where do you know me from?' It was obvious from the look on her face that she thought I was just some kid from her school, one of her many admirers. Believe me, it was pretty plain that she had admirers. She was just that kind of girl. She probably took me to this place to overwhelm me, make me feel special to her or something, loosen me up so that I'd take the let down easily. Little did she know. She tapped her fingers on the bench impatiently. She always did that as a kid.

'You wont believe me if I tell you right out.' I finally spat out. Whatever answer she was expecting, it wasn't that. She smiled too sweetly at me.

'Is it History? Maybe Maths class?' she asked delicately.

'No really. I'm not from here.'

'Well where are you from? Are you that guy I met in Seattle? No he had brown eyes… hmm.' She thought out loud. She looked up from her still-tapping fingers at my eyes, her green fixed on my blue, the colours too bright. It was a sign of where we came from, but she couldn't know that.

'I'm from Greece.' Serena snorted.

'Right, that makes tonnes of sense, because I know tonnes of Greeks.'

'Well, yeah you do. Not that you'd remember them or anything…' I looked down from her eyes at my feet.

'What the hell are you talking about Sebastian?' demanded Serena. 'Because it sure as hell sounds like you know something about me that I don't.' I looked up at her face again. She smelt like apples, and rain.

'I told you, it's far too hard to explain all at once, there's no way in hell you're going to believe me.' I was stalling, trying to figure out how to tell her. I'd thought about this moment for weeks, but I'd never thought of how to tell her. I'd always focused on impressing her in my mind. Stupid me, I should've been more prepared. I made a strange hissing sort of exhale of breath. She laughed at the frustrated expression I imagine was on my face.

'This is the part where you say "Yer a wizard Harry."' I forced back a smile.

'This is serious Serena. It involves your past.' The smile dropped off her face instantly, water off an icicle. She stood up.

'What do you know.' She said flatly. I raised an eyebrow at her sudden mood change. I assumed it was because she was afraid of the truth that could rip her away from her perfect life here. Her defences were up now.

'I wouldn't have come if it wasn't entirely necessary Serena. We wouldn't come and mess with your life here if we weren't desperate.' I reached out to touch her arm. She shuddered away from the contact.

'I'll say it again. What. Do. You. Know.' She said through gritted teeth slowly.

'Your parents. We don't know where they are. We need your help.' I said this slowly, carefully. She turned away from me, and sat quietly for a minute. She took a deep breath and turned around and stared me straight in the eye.

'Who gave you the right to come here into my life, to tell me I need to help you find the parents who never had the time to try to find me? Why should I help you? Why should I even want anything to do with you?' she hissed angrily. I looked down, wondering how difficult this was going to be to explain. I looked up into her eyes again and stood up without taking my eyes off hers. She looked back into mine for a second and I let her really look this time. Then she saw it. The tiny, almost invisible birthmark under my right eye. And it was the letter S, obviously for Sebastian. I looked under her eye too, and there was one identical to mine, but hers was under her left eye. I closed my eye and showed her the matching tiny κ on the outer corner of my eyelid. She closed her left eye too and I saw the tiny Greek letter ε. I smiled at her comfortingly, and her mouth fell open wordlessly. I pulled her back down to the seat. I had some major explaining to do, and she didn't look like she'd be able to take it standing up like that. She gained some control over herself and glared at me. I sighed, I had been expecting some sort of resistance or fight with her.

'Who the hell are you? How do you know my parents? Why do we have matching eye birthmarks?' she demanded.

'It's part of your birthright back in our village in Greece. Everybody there has them. The one below your eye is obviously for your name. The one on your eyelid however is the beginning to a word. That word is a prophecy of sorts, an insight to your character if you will. The parents spend ages trying to figure out what they mean when we're younger.'

'What do you want from me.' She asked, warily. She'd remembered what I'd said before she'd been distracted by my eyes.

'I know your parents Serena. There's been trouble back home.'

'How do you know my parents?' she asked, as if she didn't believe it.

'Because I grew up with them. They're my parents best friends.'

'Right.' She said sarcastically.

'I'm serious Serena. I wouldn't have come if it wasn't important. They need your help.'

'This is way too much for me to understand. You just expect me to believe you? I was abandoned by those people. Those people left me to DIE. Those people don't deserve to be called my parents so STOP CALLING THEM THAT! YOU DON'T KNOW MY PARENTS!' she yelled at me, quickly jumping to her feet again. She paced in front of me.

'Dammit! If this is a prank, it is so not funny and I am so going to kick your ass.' She growled at me.

'This isn't a prank for Gods sake Serena. Calm down, I can understand why you're angry. My brother was taken away too because of this. They didn't give you up willingly Serena, it was for your protection. If you'd stayed in Greece you would have died.' She turned away from me. I didn't say anything, I figured it was best to let her try to make sense of what I was telling her. It sure was a hell of a lot to comprehend. We stayed in that position for a good 10 minutes, neither of us moving, both of us barely breathing. She whipped around, her face emotionless.

'All of us adopted children hope, Sebastian. Please don't take my dream and turn it into a nightmare filled with death.' She begged. I didn't know what to say so I stood up again and wrapped my arms around her. She began to sob quietly. She seemed to realise what she was doing and she pulled away abruptly and wiped her eyes. She studied my birthmarks on my eyes wisely.

'What do you have a κ and I have an ε?'

'It's because it's the first letter of a Greek word that will show us what we are once we turn 18. Our birthdays are both on the 1st of January, so in roughly 2 months we will be acknowledged as adults and our powers will develop. The reason you were sent here was because you have an ε. This letter on children gives them powers, strong enough to defeat the vetlapa. I know I sound insane Serena, but I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you fight, and learn the sacred knowledge of your Greek roots.' I tried to sound as calm as possible. 'Please Serena. You're chosen.'

'You know what? I think you're as insane as you sound. I'm going now. Please don't bother me ever again.' and with that Serena pulled away from me and disappeared out the alleyway, leaving me for the second time.


	4. Chapter 4

_Serena, Later that day_

I stormed into the pouring rain away from the insanity._ YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER._ I ran as fast as I could through the streams of people, splashing onto puddles and soaking some of the pedestrian traffic who kept walking around me like nothing had changed. _You think you're special, little one?_ Like I'd never been adopted, like I'd always been a part of Sarah Mason's family. _I was thrown violently to the ground._ I ran and ran and ran until I finally reached the apartment. I fumbled with my keys and dropped them into the small flower bed near the door. _I will find you. WE will find you._ I cursed and snatched the keys up quickly before running inside and slamming the door behind me. I was inside, my salvation. _Safe for now._ I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a mirror. I looked half drowned, it really was pouring down out there and in my hurry to get away from that madman Sebastian I'd left my umbrella behind. Sapphire was sitting in the lounge near the fire reading a _Harry Potter_ book. She looked up as she heard me storm in.

'S? What's wrong? You look like you've just swum a marathon, what happened with that babe from Starbucks?' She asked.

'I'll tell you later once I know what happened myself.' I whispered back to her. Since he'd mentioned my parents I'd had small flashbacks of my nightmare. Sapphire gazed at me questioningly, but let it go. I'm sure the look on my face told her that I needed space to think. I went to my room quietly and slouched on my purple bean bag and draped my duvet cover around me, shivering violently. What the hell was that all about? The dark voices screaming in my head, the matching tattoos, Sebastian and my parents? Why should I give a damn about what my biological family were doing? They got rid of me, I don't care if it was for my protection as Sebastian had put it. That was probably a lie. In fact, he probably didn't even know my parents. I fiddled with my bracelet, and let it comfort me with my dreams of having a family who'd been forced to give me up, and who once they found me would want to take me home to a castle in some far away country like in Australia or somewhere hot like that. Then I remembered, I'd never leave Sapphire and Sarah. They needed me too much, and I loved them too much to ever leave them for some people who left me for 12 years. I groaned angrily. WHO WAS SEBASTIAN?

'I'm trying to tell you Serena, you're in danger now that I've talked to you. The vetlapa will sense your power and come to find you. In you head at first, they'll torment you. Then they will come to get you, and you'll be weak in your state of insanity. Those dark voices, are darker than you think.' Sebastian's voice echoed through my room. I spun around angrily to see him standing by the window, seriousness all over his face, not a hint of insanity. I studied him in his stunning blue Armani jacket and grey jeans. 'How does an insane Greek boy manage to wear Armani and talk about vetlapa and convince me that he's not insane? Why are you here Sebastian. Tell me the whole truth or get out before I call the cops.' He studied me for a minute, with his piercing intense blue eyes before he spoke 'Around 12 years ago, about the time you were taken, a hundred or so ancient Greek spirits were resurrected by a clever evil young man named Vet. He brought these spirits back to life because he heard that they were powerful beings that would do the bidding of whoever brought them back to life. Vet's letter under his eye was merely a ο which was for ordinary, so once he turned 18 he gained no powers like the rest of his village. He became jealous of the King of Greece who like all powerful Greeks had an ε, such as your self. This ε usually stands for extraordinary, but an ancient prophet prophesized that one special young girl with green eyes would have an ε that would stand for the Greek word επιλεγεί which translates to English as 'choosen'. So Vet killed the King and took his place on the throne of Greece. He ordered all girls with an ε and green eyes to be killed. Your parents sent you through the Line, a secret transport from our Greece to your New York. Not only does it take you from one place to another, it takes you to a different time. In my Greece right now the year is 106BC and war is ensuing. It is because of this war that your parents sent you here. But since you can't remember me or anything of your life in Greece, we have to assume that some sort of battle occurred between you and the vetlapa. You must have incredible skill to have fought them off as a five year old, and escaped only losing memories.' Sebastian gazed off as he spoke.

'I escaped so badly injured I had to have surgery and a lot of time in hospital. I still have nightmares of that night… and when I was running home away from you they spoke to me, and told me a couldn't hide anymore…' I whispered. I was sure my face was white as one of these Vetlapa ghosts Sebastian was on about. I didn't want to believe him, but even if so much of what he was saying sounded impossible, so much of it made sense.

'So what can we do to get rid of these Vetlapa? I assume that's what you're here for.' I said loudly, trying to sound more confident then I felt. I'm good at that. 'And how do we find this special green eyed girl?'

'Well… we've already found the green eyed girl. Next we find your parents. They were experts on the vetlapa and were head of the resistance against them. They disappeared as soon as they decided to come through the Line and find you.'

'Where's this girl then? Can't she just do some magic' I wiggled my fingers at him in a mock mystical way. 'and get rid of these "vetlapa"? And as for my parents do you think they could just be lost in NYC somewhere?'

'No Serena, think about it.' Sebastian pushed me over to my mirror. 'Look at yourself. The answer to this war is in you.'

I stared for a minute, thinking Sebastian had gone nuts. I studied my features. The long dark straight hair, wet down my back that made my tanned skin seem semi exotic. The only thing that ruined my desert Egyptian look was the lack of dark eyes. My bright glowing green ones stared back at me. And it clicked into place.

'You think that _I'm_ your green eyed E girl?' I laughed. 'That's impossible. Don't you think I would've shown some magical powers by now or something? Believe me Sebastian, there's nothing magical about me.'

'You fought off Vetlapa at age 5. You're confident and perfect to be a leader. You're independent and years above your age. You're a fighter, but you're compassionate too. Serena you have all the qualities of the green eyed girl in the prophecies. That's why your parents sent you through the Line. They knew that they'd come for you and your magic would be exposed because even as a five year old, your defense mechanisms would've kicked in. You were always so touchy as a kid. Once, I was teasing my brother, Noah, and you came over and pushed me onto the ground and told me to pick on someone your own size.' Sebastian laughed, but soon returned to his sombre self.

'I don't believe this, I'm sorry Sebastian but it's a little too much to take in right now.'

'Yeah your parents thought that it'd be better if they came to tell you. But once they disappeared my father thought I'd have to do.'

'Where can we find my parents?'

'I think that like you, the Vetlapa caught them on their way through the Line. They keep it under surveillance.'

'You think that they're alive?' I questioned, studying his bright blue eyes carefully. His tone seemed hopeful.

'There's a possibility that they survived.'

'So how can we find them?'

'Well that's where you come in.' I stared at Sebastian for a minute. His eyes were as bright as mine, even if they were blue. It was unsettling. What he was saying sounded incredibly weird to me, and I was having a hard time taking it all in. Over the course of an hour my life had gone from normal to supernatural. I walked over to my mirror and studied my ε. I wondered if I was this chosen girl that Sebastian had talked about. I doubted it, I mean come one. I'm just your average hot-headed teenage New Yorker. Not some ancient Greek warrior. I looked back up at Sebastian who walked towards me and took my small hands into his big tanned ones.

'Serena, you are our only hope. Please, please consider coming with me to Greece to find your parents and help restore balance to your country. If you hate it there, we can always send you back, if that's what you want.'

'You're not going to take no for an answer are you?'

'No, not really.' Sebastian smiled, lightening the dark mood fractionally.

I bit my lip and deliberated. How could I leave my friends and family and life here behind? What about Sapphire? She needed me! I couldn't just leave her here, she'd be totally lost. She'd rather come to a Greek warzone with me than stay here in NYC lost without me. That and to be honest, I'm not sure I could handle something this huge on my own. I needed her there with me to go through with this. Not that I'd ever admit that to her.

'Okay. I'll do it. BUT with conditions.'

'Of course, anything you need will be provided for you. Thank God you've agreed! It makes everything so much easier!' Sebastian smiled euphorically. I smiled back, knowing he wasn't going to like my conditions very much.

'Yes yes, I'll do it. But first, I have to create a cover story to tell my mother,'

'Yes, of course!' Sebastian agreed quickly.

'And my school.'

'Certainly.'

'And my work.'

'That will all be taken care of.'

'And that Sapphire can come with me.'

'Yes, yes of course.' Sebastian agreed briskly. 'Wait, what?'

'You heard me.' I smiled slyly.

'Nobody other than Greeks may pass through the line! It's forbidden!'

'Well then I guess I'm not coming. Goodbye now, nice to meet you.' I dismissed him.

'No no! But you have to come!' Sebastian cried.

'Shh! Quiet, my mother will hear you!' I whispered.

'Sorry, but you simply must come Serena.' he whispered, much quieter.

'Sorry Sebastian, but this is a take it or leave it situation. You can take both of us, or neither of us at all.' Sebastian stared at me, considering my offer for a minute.

'Take it or leave it Sebastian.' I repeated. He sighed in defeat.

'Fine, you can bring her. But nobody is going to be happy about this Serena. Not one bit.'

'Not my problem.' I smiled. 'It's not my fault, you should be grateful that I'm even leaving my entire life to come save yours.' I knew I was being selfish and sounded conceited, but I had to be assertive. Sebastian needed to know that I was the one making the rules here. I wouldn't usually sound so whiney. This was my game now.

'Will she even want to come?' Sebastian pitched.

'Of course she will. We're inseparable.'


	5. Chapter 5

_Sapphire, 20 minutes later_

What. A. Day.

So I always knew Serena's past would come back for her one day, but I never once imagined it would be like this. She asked me to come with her back in time to Greece, and of course I accepted. I'd never leave her to do something like that on her own. That and I had no idea what I'd do without her here. I needed to be with her. And she needed me too, no matter how much she'd deny it and how independent and confident she acted. Those nights of her coming into my room shaking after a nightmare proved to me that she was more unstable than she thought.

She introduced me to the babe from Starbucks and I, being the weak one, giggled nervously and stuttered 'I'm S S Sapphire.'

'Well S S Sapphire,' he'd laughed, 'I'm Sebastian, and thank you so much for agreeing to accompany Serena and I on our trip through ancient Greece.' He had smiled and I'd melted. His dimples were so damn cute, that it had distracted me from the intensity of his sentence. I was going to ancient Greece. Wow. That's a tiny bit more exciting than modern day Mumbai.

'You're welcome.' I managed to spit out. Why was I so shy? Honestly, he must of thought I was challenged upstairs. But, being the perfect gentleman he was, he said nothing of my deranged vocal skills of the present moment and smiled again.

'Okay, okay. Enough with the introductions.' Serena butted in. 'We need to get down to business. When are we leaving, Sebastian?'

'When you leave for India, you'll come with me to Greece instead. Don't worry about your school. My father will take care of that.'

'So we leave in two days. How long will we be in Greece for?' Serena asked

'Time on the other side of the Line goes faster than on this side.'

'And you never explained this before because…?'

'You never asked.' Sebastian replied calmly. Serena was having kittens, but kept them to herself.

'So kind of like in Narnia?' I asked.

'What's Narnia?' Sebastian asked, this adorable confused look all over his face.

'Never mind.' Serena snapped. Sheesh, she was obviously a little cranky over this. I mean I suppose I should've been too, but to be honest I was excited! It's not every day you get invited to go to ancient Greece with your best friend. Even if it was a warzone. I put an hand on her arm comfortingly, and she calmed a little.

'You still didn't answer my question.' Serena carried on, more controlled this time.

'Well if it was up to me, I'd say we leave tonight. But you will most likely want to stay for one more night and explain things to your mother and pack.'

'Pack what?'

'Soley underclothes, toothbrushes, personal hygiene things. No clothing though, your 21st century style would stand out like a sore thumb in ancient Greece. We'll have clothes for you there.'

'That's not going to take us all night. The sooner we leave, the better. Let's go tonight.' Serena instructed.

'As you wish.' replied Sebastian, sounding kind of Genie-like.

'Let's get moving then.' I finished.


	6. Chapter 6

_Sapphire, 2 days later._

How I ended up walking through the streets of NYC with a Greek boy and my sister, on a mission to find some mystical "Line" which would transport us to ancient Greece and possibly end up in some magical showdown with some creepy ghosts, I will never understand. What I did understand was that I had agreed to do this. And I never back out on my promises. We had been walking for what seemed like hours through back alleyways and dodgy little streets until we reached some enormous door. I had totally lost track of where I was. Sebastian seemed to know exactly where we were though.

'Are you ready for this?' Sebastian questioned cautiously. I stared at the big black polished wood door in front of us, then glanced at Serena who was fiddling with her bracelet. I was biting my lip nervously something I'd always done when I was nervous. Serena seemed to notice my discomfort and placed a comforting arm through mine. We looked at each other and simultaneously nodded at Sebastian.

'I have to warn you, there's a chance that the Vetlapa will be monitoring it from this side of the Line and they could see us. If they notice your ε and your green eyes, they will try to kill you.' cautioned Sebastian seriously. He had this deep concentrated look in his eyes that seemed almost sorry in a weird way. It kind of seemed like he didn't want to make me do this, he didn't want to put us into any danger. Like he wanted to protect us instead of thrust us unarmed into what could be the end. Well I hoped like hell he was gonna protect us. I mean he and Serena had those mystical Greek letters that could help them out but me? I was totally unarmed. In fact, I couldn't even throw a punch.

'I know. We can handle it. If I'm this magical green eye girl then I should be able to handle them right?' Serena smiled at Sebastian. He didn't smile back.

'Do you understand the concept of life and death Serena? If we mess this up and you die, you'll be gone forever or returned as one of these Vetlapa ghosts. If you die, I will never forgive myself. Especially if you are returned as a Vetlapa, a cold evil spirit whose soul exists once more only to kill and obey Vet. That would be the worst fate possible.'

'You mean I could become Vetlapa?' I was curious. 'How come you never mentioned that?'

'You never asked.'

'Ugh. I hate it when you do that.' Serena complained.

'Embrace it. Get used to it.' Sebastian smiled. 'Now let's get going.'

He pulled a key with a long handle and small feathers at its base out of his Levi jeans. I stifled a laugh. I still thought it was funny that some anonymous Greek boy could just poof into our century NYC and know which Levis to buy. He waved the key along the edges of the door and it began to glow brightly.

'Hold onto me, if the Vetlapa are here, I'll know.' Serena said. 'I don't know how I'll know but something about this door and this weird glow made a pulse in me that can sense the presences of both of you next to me, and I can sense the presences of others through the door. All I can tell right now was that whoever I can sense, they are human. They have the same warmth and energy as Sebastian. How I can sense them is beyond me, but I know they were there.' Serena spoke softly with her eyes closed.

'You're finally embracing your birthright.' Sebastian smiled at her.

The door began to glow brighter and brighter until it was glowing so much I couldn't see anything except the blinding whiteness of the doors light. I gripped tighter onto Sebastian and Serena and gritted my teeth. _Here goes nothing_, I thought just before all three of us erupted into the brightness.


	7. Chapter 7

_Sebastian, 2 seconds later._

'They're here.' Serena's eyes flew open and immediately adjusted to the light, how our Greek eyes were trained.

'What do you mean they're here!' Sapphire gasped as she blindly felt the cold winds blowing around us. 'What's happening?' she cried.

'It's okay Sapphire, nothing will happen to you. It's Serena they're after.' I whispered calmly. 'Now shh, if they hear us they will come after us and we still have another few minutes before we reach Greece.'

'What's happening Sebastian?' Sapphire moaned quietly.

'We are on the Line, the space between two worlds. It exists, and it doesn't. Once you're in it, you cease to exist in either so you exist in nothing. It's a terribly frustrating concept.'

'Sebastian, they're here.' Serena spoke calmly.

'How far?'

'Less than a minute. They'll reach us before we get to Greece. I can feel them, rushing closer. They're so cold.' She shivered, icy winds whipping her dark hair across her face.

'What do you think we should do Serena? What do you feel?' I coaxed calmingly. She was the key, only she knew the answer to defeating them.

'Stay absolutely still. They can't see us. They can hear us. Don't move a muscle. Let me do the talking.' Serena instructed. We obeyed, and I put a comforting arm around Sapphire who was to put it lightly, freaking out. We stood there in the light, as still as statues, just waiting for the nightmares to reach us. Suddenly, they were there. The could sense our presences. Serena whispered to me quietly 'Move Sapphire. Make sure she doesn't see this.' I did as I was told and quietly passed the Vetlapa who were focusing on Serena, hissing in weird old languages. Serena hissed back angrily and abruptly there was a blue light and the Vetlapa were thrown back off their feet. They stood up so quickly and were back onto Serena again. She pushed her hands out onto them and it looked like where she touched them it burned them. She slashed one across the face while simultaneously throwing one off her back with another jet of bright blue light. I stood and watched in awe as she threw them all down to the ground one by one with different forces each time. I think there were about 8 of them. One of them erupted into flames. Another was thrown to the ground and consumed by the blue light. They couldn't touch her, because where they did it burned them horribly, black blisters forming on their disgusting half decomposed skin. She suffocated one of them by gripping his throat with her hands. She kicked another ones stomach so hard that her foot went straight through him. She was destroying them, but not without an effort. Finally, all of them were twitching hard on the ground or dead. Except for one. A Vetlapa came running at me and Sapphire as a last resort I think.

'NO!' screamed Serena, who threw such a great beam of blue light out of her hands at the Vetlapa that it burned straight through him and consumed him whole. She lifted the light up above us, the Vetlapa inside it squirming and screaming. Serena stared at the Vetlapa and studied it. She looked disgusted at its black, rotted skin and stringy dirt cover hair. It had a black cloak on with its hood up. She shook its hood off and exclaimed at the sight of its black skull. It had no eyes and It's teeth were black and half fallen out. She lifted it up higher and higher until with one last peak of energy she threw him to the floor with such a force that he shattered into pieces.

'Nobody messes with my friends.' she said quietly. Sapphire was sobbing into my shoulder. To be honest, I couldn't blame her. After all, she did just see 8 or so ancient dead humans be destroyed and dismembered in front of her by her sister. I reached to comfort her, but all of a sudden Serena collapsed. I ran to her and picked her up. 15 seconds until we were in Greece. I was in a sort of auto-bot mode, doing what I had to to get the girls to safety. 8 seconds. I took Sapphires hands so we exited the Line together. 5 seconds. Sapphire stopped crying and helped me support Serena.

_3.2.1. Home._


	8. Chapter 8

_Serena, Later that day_

'I'm not lying father. It truly did happen. She took down 8 or more of them by herself. I can assure you, she's definitely the one.' I heard Sebastians voice arguing with an unfamiliar one. I still had my eyes closed and I could feel that I was lying down on something soft and warm. A bed? But how did I get into a bed? I struggled to open my eyes and sit up, but God, I was so tired. I barely had the energy to lift my arm.

'A little help?' I croaked and I felt a set of strong arms lift me up so I was in a sitting position leaning against the headboard of the bed. I opened my eyes and looked at my surroundings. It seemed as if I was in a hotel room. A really old small hotel room filled with too many people. It seemed as if the room was so packed it'd burst. I looked around at all the faces to see if I knew anyone but I only recognized Sebastian. Speaking of Sebastian, I was curious about what he just said.

'Who took down 8 what?' I asked, my voice barely more than a whisper.

'What do you remember Serena?' asked Sebastian, a sweet smile on his face.

'I remember being at a big door, and there being a bright light. Then I woke up here. Does the Line always do that to people the first time? Y'know zap the energy out of them?' I moaned. 'Speaking of people, where on earth is my sister? She needs me.' Sebastian laughed at the enraged (albeit exhausted) look on my face, but quickly stopped after a harsh look from his father. 'Well? Where is she?' I asked, worriedly now.

'She's here Serena, she's in the room next to you, picking out which Greek clothes are the hottest and which ones you wouldn't dare to be seen in.' Sebastian smiled.

'You didn't answer my other questions Sebastian. How'd I get here and who are all these people?'

'These people are my family. You got here, because I carried you from the Line.'

'Why'd I need carrying and you didn't? What about Sapphire? Did she need to be carried?'

'No. Just you.' I gave him the look that says "explain. now."

'I had to carry you because you were exhausted after what happened.'

'Well, don't leave me hanging buddy, what happened?'

'You fought and killed more than 8 Vetlapa in the Line.'

'Yeah right, and you're the prime minister of Zimbabwe.' I laughed.

'I'm being serious Serena, you really scared Sapphire.' said Sebastian, seriousness written all over his face. _He's not lying._ I thought. Maybe what he said was true.

'I killed Vetlapa?' I asked, nervously.

'More than 8.' whispered Sebastian. 'Do you know how hard even one of them is to kill?'

'But, how could I kill Vetlapa? I don't even know how I could do that. That's just crazy.' I spoke slowly, not sure what to believe.

'You used your powers. I think your instinct to protect and look after me and Sapphire made your ε burst into consciousness early.'

'What powers?'

'See if you can use them again now. Most of us are taught how to control them at high school but you didn't go to a normal Greek high school so you never learnt control over your powers. It would be surprising if you can use them now. Especially since the powers you showed me are much more advanced than any powers I've seen in the high school.'

'I don't have powers Sebastian. I've never had powers before.'

'You do Serena, I watched you shot jets of burning blue light out and fry Vetlapa. I saw you make one of them burst into flames. I witnessed the burning current you made run across your skin so it was impossible for them to touch you. Those aren't usual powers Serena, those are the powers of the green eyed ε girl from the prophecies. You have the most spectacular powers this village, no this country has ever seen.'

'I find that really hard to believe.' I was still sceptical.

'Believe it Serena, you were incredible! I've never seen someone survive against one Vetlapa. Let alone 8! You were incredible. The family here' –he gestured to the unfamiliar faces scattered across the room- ' don't believe me when I tell them what you did. If you could just give them a little demonstration of your power and what you can do…' he trailed off.

'Sebastian. I don't even know that I have powers, let alone know how to use them.' I looked at his disappointed face. 'If you teach me how to access them, and how to use them then I'll show you if there's anything to show.'

A hopeful look spread across his face.

'I was hoping you'd say that.' Sebastian smiled. 'How do you feel about attending the high school here? So you can develop your powers?'

'But what about finding my parents?' I asked.

'You'll be no use looking for your parents in your current exhausted untrained state. If you start at Neptune High, you'll learn how to fight, and how to control your powers. Then once we've developed your skills, you'll be unstoppable against any Vetlapa we encounter while looking for your parents.'

'How long will I have to attend for?' I asked cautiously. No way was I signing any agreements until I knew all the details.

'2 months. Tops. You'll catch up with the other students soon enough. If you just practise and use a lot of willpower, you'll soon be the top of your class.'

I stared at him. Did he really think so highly of me that he thought I could become as skilled as the kids already in these classes for half their lives in just 2 months?

'Are you nuts?' I vocalised my thoughts.

'Really Serena, I believe you can do it. You'll need extra lessons outside of school though. I can teach you, or my uncle can.'

'If you're such a fighter how come I had to kill those Vetlapa in the Line and you didn't?' I accused.

'Because I can't access my κ yet and I don't know if my κ will even give me powers like your letter does. Physical fighting can only get you so far Serena.'

'So you'll leach me how to kick ass, but what about my powers? If I'm the only one who has these particular ones, how on earth will you know how to teach me about using them?'

'My uncle is a teacher at Neptune. He teaches all the students how to control their powers. His power is that of the mind. He can contact your deepest thoughts and access your most long ago forgotten memories. He can't explain how to shape-shift to a young student whose power is that, but he can make the answer form in that students mind about it as his body knows how to access the power. Even though your powers are unusual and unique, your powers are still as foreign to him as everyone elses.' explained Sebastian.

I stared at him for a moment, trying to process all the changes that had gone through my life over the past few days. For a second I wished that I hadn't agreed to help. I was scared and nervous but there was no way I was going to admit that to Sebastian. I fiddled with my bracelet. I couldn't, no I wouldn't back out of this now. In fact, I wasn't even sure if I could back out of this now. Not that I wanted to, but still. A girl likes to have options. I exhaled and sighed. Sebastian was studying my face intently. I looked around the room at all these hopeful semi-familiar faces and realized that they needed me so much that they risked sending their son through the Line just to bring me to them. I wouldn't let them down.

'I'll do it.' I decided.

Sebastian smiled at me, 'Well, we better get you appropriately dressed! I'm sure Sapphire's arranged something for you.'

'I'm sure she has.' I laughed. 'But I can't exactly move right now. See I'm to tired to even lift my arm, let alone walk.'

'Of course. Wait a moment.' Sebastian stepped to the door and stuck his head out then started screeching 'NOAH! NOAAAHHH!'

'I'M COMIN'! GOSH!' yelled back a young boys voice.

'Noah is my little brother, he can heal.' explained Sebastian after noticing the confused expression on my face. Noah trudged into the room. He looked about 11 or 12 with the same dark messy hair as Sebastian but with warm brown eyes that seemed to glow as brightly as mine often did.

'So you're the chosen girl eh?' Noah exclaimed brightly.

'So I hear.' I smiled weakly back at him.

'The chosen girl that killed 8 Vetlapa in one go?'

'So I hear. Though apparently it wasn't without a lot of effort. I'm so exhausted now I can barely speak.' I mumbled.

'Oh don't worry about that. You'll be right in about 10 seconds.' he grinned. Abruptly he thrust his hands out above my head and hummed. His hands began to glow in the same white light as the Line. I became very drowsy for a few seconds then as quick as the light had came it disappeared, with the drowsiness. I looked at Sebastian questioningly.

'I'm just gonna assume here that Noah just healed me?'

'Yup. I sure did. You shouldn't feel like your gonna die any more.'

'I don't.' I smiled. I quickly scratched my ear. 'That itch has been killing me since I woke up.' I laughed, strong enough to actually laugh again.

'Thank you Noah. If there's anything I can do for you, let me know.'

'Anytime princess. My healing skills are available to a pretty girl like you any time.' he winked. I blinked in astonishment as Noah bounced out of the room. Sebastian looked like he wanted to kick Noah out of the room with foot up his…

'Enough. Sebastian, are you not going to introduce the girl to us?' a large man with a thick moustache interrupted my thoughts from the corner of the room.

'Of course father. Father, this is Serena Mason. She's the daughter of your friends Charlie and Julia Richards. Serena, this is my father Lucas.'

'Nice to meet you.' I extended a hand to shake his. He stared at it.

'What are you doing?' he asked staring at my hand.

'Oh right, you guys probably don't shake hands in this century yet…' I realised embarrassedly.

'What does it mean?' he asked, seeming genuinely curious.

'It's a welcoming gesture.' I answered.

'Well you are certainly welcome here. This is my home and these people are my wonderful family. This is my wife Arianna' –he gestured to a tall pale blonde woman to his right- 'and this is my brother, Ryder, who Sebastian told you about before.' He gestured to the muscled dark man on his left. 'We hope you will be very comfortable with us during your stay here in Greece.' He made it sound like I was here on a holiday, not to kill and destroy. I forced a smile and gave another 'Nice to meet you.' I turned back to Sebastian.

'I need to see Sapphire now.' I said, determinedly.

'Of course. I will take you to her now.' He took my hand and I bounced off of the bed. He held onto me a moment too long, I caught his eye and quickly pulled my hand away. Awkward moments were not my thing. I looked down at my outfit. The skinny black Levi's and tight peach top I was wearing looked totally out of place here. I laughed and hoped that Sapphire had come up with something good.


	9. Chapter 9

_Sapphire, 2 minutes later._

'Serena!' I cried and ran to her, squashing her in my bear hug. Sebastian looked surprised at my excited response. 'Where have you been? Are you okay? You totally kicked ass with those monster things this morning!'

'Woah woah woah. Calm down Sapph. I don't remember any thing. I'm okay and I've been sleeping so it seems. Nothing too exciting. Have you got us some clothes?' Serena asked.

'Of course I do. I've had about 3 hours to look at our options here.'

'3 hours!' Serena exclaimed. She shot Sebastian a poisonous look. 'I was out to it for 3 HOURS? I thought an hour tops!'

'Never mind that. Come look at what I've got for you.' I smiled at Serena hoping to calm her down. She sure was cranky today. I dragged her over to the bed where I'd laid out about 15 different Greek/Sapphire outfits. A slow smile crept over Serena's face as she noticed how I'd accessorized these old fashioned tunics and dresses into more modern day wearable clothes without making it too 21st century.

'According to Hailie we're gonna be the hottest chicks in school with these clothes.' I laughed. Serena quickly striped off her clothes and put one of the outfits on. Sebastian looked shocked at the fact that she had just striped down to her underwear with him in the room. I laughed at him, _get used to it, Serena's never been one for modesty._ I thought.

'Who's Hailie?' asked Serena.

'Hailie is my cousin, she's about the same age as us.' answered Sebastian.

'Hailie… Why do I recognize that name? Blonde hair?' said Serena.

'You and Hailie were like sisters before you left. Between me, you, her and Oliver we were inseparable.'

'Oliver, that name sounds similar too. Maybe I'm regaining some memories.' asked Serena. She closed her eyes and it looked like she was concentrating. She exhaled angrily. 'It's like there's a wall there. I can't access any memories behind that wall.'

'The Vetlapa must have done a good job on you if you can't remember us.' said two voices in unison. A blonde girl dressed in pink and a blonde boy stepped into the room. Hailie smiled at me and introduced the boy.

'This is Oliver, my twin. I'm Hailie. I know you can't remember us but BOY it feels good to see you again.' she smiled at Serena.

Serena shifted uncomfortably in her new outfit. 'Thanks. I'm Serena. I know you already know that but I just felt like I had to introduce myself.'

Hailie laughed and tossed her long wavy blonde hair back. She looked like your typical pink Barbie girl, and had the face of an angel all dimples and smiles. 'Still the same. Confident and in charge.'

'Always has been, always will be.' I added. Serena laughed, obviously a little uncomfortable at meeting people who knew her but she didn't know them. Sebastian cleared his throat, sensing Serena's discomfort.

'It's been a long day for the girls. I think it's about time they get some sleep.'

'Yeah I'm real tired.' I yawned.

'Me too, even though I've apparently been asleep for over 3 HOURS!' Serena glared at Sebastian. I stifled a laugh. She was funny when grumpy.

'Well it was nice to see you again Serena. I hope we can catch up again soon.' smiled Hailie as she left the room.

'Yeah hopefully we get some of the same classes together.' said Oliver, smiling shyly. He reminded me of Justin, Danielles friend from back home. I felt a pang of regret. I wished that Danielle was here, she'd love these hot Greek boys. Serena smiled warmly back at the boy.

'Sure, that'd be great.' she said, obviously trying to make the boy feel welcome. 'Well, I better hit the sack. Sebastian? Where am I sleeping?'

'Er, I'm not sure that you'll be happy about this Serena, but you'll be sharing my room. Father felt it would be more appropriate than if Sapphire was, as we have only just met her.' said Sebastian, looking apologetic. Serena made an angry hissing noise and I put an hand on her arm to calm her.

'Fine. I need sleep.' she moaned. I was to sleep in this room, it was just tiny enough for me. Sebastian and Serena exited and I got ready for bed. I threw my new pyjamas on and wondered what would happen tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hailie, the next day_

'Pass the jam please Serena dear.' I asked sweetly shooting Serena a smile over breakfast. She smiled sweetly back and I held back a gag. She was as sickeningly perfect as ever. I was hoping that all those years in that perfectly vulgar century of hers had rubbed off on her. Apparently not. She'd still charmed the pants off the entire family and managed to impress them in one go with stories of her chosen powers, which I for one, found hard to believe. She'd never been trained, let alone knew of her powers yet she managed to kill 8 Vetlapa within 5 minutes? Highly unlikely in my eyes. Sebastian nudged me and I realized I hadn't thanked her for the jam.

'Thank you Serena. You're perfectly kind.' Sebastian smiled at my manners. I batted my eyelashes at him seductively but as per usual he took no notice. He was too busy explaining the rules to Serena of our school.

'No magic is to be used violently on other people, do that and you'll get expelled.' he warned, those mesmerizing blue eyes, intense and focused on her green ones. Personally, not being arrogant but I found my violet ones so much prettier, though many people found them alarming because they're such an unusual colour.

'Come on Sebastian, you know I wouldn't do that even if I knew how to access my powers.'

'I know I know, you're good.' he smiled at Serena warmly. I looked away, wishing that his smile had been for me. Ugh, why'd she have to come back now? Just when things were getting better with me and Sebastian. A few days with her and he was already head over heels and she was either oblivious or uninterested. Serena ignored his compliment elegantly by dodging it with another question.

'So when do we start school here?'

'Tomorrow, we don't have time to waste. Your mother will be expecting you back in New York in approximately 2 and a half Greek month, so we have to hurry.' he explained as he watched the unimpressed look on her face settle back to it's usual understanding expression.

'I'd be helping show you around but you're attending the boys school. The girls here attend Aphrodite High, only the boys who need to learn to fight attend Neptune. But I guess as you're an exception here you need to learn to fight too so you'll go with Sebastian tomorrow.' I smiled innocently at her, knowing that this little bit of information would not go down well with Serena.

'I'm attending an all boys school?' she cried, all panicky. 'Again Sebastian, another thing you failed to mention.'

'It wont matter. You're not there to socialize anyway, you're just meant to train and learn. You need to be prepared against more Vetlapa.' explained Sebastian calmly. He touched her arm lightly and I seethed on the inside.

'Yeah besides, all the girls at Aphrodite are bitchy anyway. You'd be much better off hanging out with the Neptune boys.' I said calmly while inspecting my nails. 'And I'm sure Sebastian will look after you.' Serena didn't look happy about spending so much time with him. Good. He was mine.

'Excuse me, I have to go meet up with a friend of mine now.' I smiled and departed. I heard Serena whisper to Sebastian 'Does she always smile that much?' as I walked out of the room. I gritted my teeth, and reminded myself to be patient with her, Sebastian would come around sooner or later.

I walked to Camille's house briskly wanting to get far away from my house. Camille was my best friend and she knew all about my thing for Sebastian, she'd know how to handle the Serena situation. Watching him dribble over her made me feel sick to my stomach. I knocked on her door loudly and within seconds it flung open. I saw her long perfectly straight red hair swishing around, looking for all the world like some hair model, before I saw her. Camille smiled brightly at me.

'Hailie! Honey! How are you?' she cooed loudly, sweeping me into her house.

'I'm great thanks Camille, absolutely fucking fantastic.' I said sourly.

'Oooo, what's wrong sweets?' she patted her hand down on the red sofa. 'Tell me everything.' she said in a sugar coated voice.

'It's HER.' I moaned.

'Who?'

'HER. επιλεγεί!' I shrieked and flung myself down upon her couch.

'επιλεγεί? It's impossible! That's just a myth!' squealed Camille excitedly.

'She's EXACTLY as the myths described. AND she killed 8 Vetlapa according to Sebastian.' I spat venomously.

'So she has to lightning powers? And the electric current? '

'She HAD them. Now she suddenly can't control her powers anymore.'

'Of course, I mean she's never been trained.'

'Sebastian is head over heels.' I hissed angrily.

'No way sweetie, Sebastian is definitely yours.' Camille put a arm around me. 'He'd never look at anyone else, even if you two aren't official or anything yet…' she trailed off suspiciously.

'I know. But a few more weeks and he would've been! Now it might never happen because of her. I hate her already. She needs to go. Or at least be taught a lesson about stealing others boyfriends.' I snarled.

'Aw Hailie, really? You're an angel, but sometimes you seem down right demonic.' exclaimed Camille as she fiddled with her long red hair.

'She deserves demonic, that little boyfriend stealing-'

'Hailie! Daaarrrliingg, how have you been?' interrupted Camille's mother as she breezed into the house loftily. She seemed to float 2 feet off the ground and shared Camille's perfect red hair.

'Lovely, Madam. And you too have been well?' I simpered, playing to role of perfect innocent Head Girl to a T.

'Excellent thank you dear, I was just coming down to start on dinner. Would you two girls care to help?'

'Why of course Madam. Anything to help.' I smiled brightly. Camille rolled her eyes at us, then winked at me. She had a plan to teach Serena her place here in Greece and I couldn't wait to hear it.


End file.
